


need some light

by orphan_account



Series: my fics [5]
Category: BVNDIT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Friendship-Focused, Gay Panic, Gen, Light Angst, Unrequited Crush, also vaguely a making fun of lotr au, jungwoo is short, seungeun is confused, simyeong is grumpy, songhee is tired, vaguely a lotr au, yiyeon is a nerd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-08
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:07:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21712732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: sometimes, the world is too dark for anyone to live in peace.-or: seungeun is an ordinary person. she's not a hero, she's human, and she thought elves were extinct. she's not really sure how this happened.
Relationships: Lee Simyeong/Uhm Jungwoo, Shim Seungeun/Yoon Songhee
Series: my fics [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2007859
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5





	need some light

**Author's Note:**

> title from dreamcatcher's silent night  
> this was... supposed to be short.
> 
> it is not short.
> 
> enjoy!
> 
>   
> THIS IS UNFINISHED.

Seungeun doesn’t really know how this happened.

One second, she was canoeing down the river, enjoying her day; the next, there’s a large shadowy figure jumping on her and breathing something horrible in her ear. There’s a scythe (?) pressed against her chest and she thinks she’s going to die, and then there’s a sword slicing through the shadowy figure’s neck and there’s a stinky head in her lap. 

“Are you okay?” an unfamiliar voice says.

Possibly belatedly, Seungeun screams.

-

The unfamiliar voice, it turns out, belongs to a wandering hero named Yiyeon.

That’s what she called herself, anyway. Seungeun thinks that’s a bit narcissistic of her, but she shouldn’t really judge the person who saved her life.

Yiyeon takes her to an unfamiliar hall, bright and filled with leaves, and she vaguely remembers being fed overly sweet medicine by a kind man with pointed ears. She’s too sick to move for at least a day, and the kind man (maybe elf?) tells her that it’s the shadowy thing’s breath, that some sort of demon attacked her. She’s still half convinced that she’s dreaming up all of this, because heroes and elves and demons are from old stories, from back when there were gods and Dark Lords with capital letters and princesses and dramatic love stories. The most interesting animal out here now is probably the wild horse Seungeun’s cousin from the highlands owns; her cousin swears the horse eats meat. The city is a democracy, and there are no kings or queens or whatever, and people are probably cutting down wild forests, and last Seungeun checked, elves were registered as extinct in the dictionary.

But also she can barely breathe and she’s having weird nightmares in which the demon chases her through a strange volcanic land she’s never seen before and she shoots it with a bow and arrows (she doesn’t even know how to  _ use  _ those). There’s a Voice- yes, with a capital v- that informs her that  _ Four must come together on a quest for the light _ in a very ominous tone.

So, most likely, all of this isn’t a dream.

Yiyeon visits her once she’s well enough to sit up. “How are you?” she asks.

“I’m okay,” Seungeun lies. She’s decided that her new mode of operating is to seem as cool as possible, because if she makes a fool of herself in front of mythical people she’ll never forgive herself. “I keep having weird dreams.”

“Is there a Voice?” Yiyeon asks. “Saying something about four coming together? I have those too.”

Seungeun blinks. “Really? Because- yeah, it’s those.”

Yiyeon nods solemnly. “You must be the second person, then.”

“I must be  _ what _ ?” Seungeun says. 

Yiyeon continues, oblivious to her confusion. “It’s a prophecy. Since the two of us are having the dreams, we must be two of the people destined to go on the quest. I’m the Hero, obviously, and you’re…” She squints at Seungeun. “Are you good at archery?”

“...no?”

“Axe work?”

“Nope?”

“Do you have a cursed artifact?”

“No,” Seungeun says, alarmed. “Of course not.”

“Then I don’t know what you are,” Yiyeon says thoughtfully. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

“I’m so confused,” Seungeun says. “What’s this about roles? What’s this about quests? I’m just, like… a person. I fish and I’m trying to go to a college of the arts and I’m an amateur dancer and I can barely pay rent. I don’t know anything about prophecies or fighting or- whatever.”

Yiyeon’s face softens. She awkwardly pats Seungeun on the shoulder. “Usually, in quests, there are certain roles. There’s no, like, official rule about it, but I made them up so they could make more sense to me. There’s a hero, usually- they’ve got an important destiny and a sad past sometimes but these days they’re just old people that wander around with a sword and brood in taverns. That’s me. With four people, there’s probably an elf and a dwarf to get that diversity in, and then usually some kind of jack-of-all-trades or reason the quest exists or…”

“Miscellaneous?” Seungeun suggests.

“Yup,” Yiyeon agrees. She pauses. “Oh god, do you even want to go on the quest? I should have asked you before dragging you into all of this.”

Seungeun thinks about how boring the city can be sometimes, thinks about how tiring and stinky it is to fish for a living. Thinks about extinct species and myths she’d thought were dead, and the red storybook she used to read as a child that had tales of heroes and villains, how it’s collecting dust under her bed.

“I mean,” she starts, “I don’t really know what we’re doing. Once we figure that out, though… I’m up for coming. I can’t promise I’ll do anything helpful, though.”

Yiyeon beams. “Excellent! Now, to find the rest of the party…”

Seungeun frowns. “Party like a dance?”

“No, party like a group,” Yiyeon says. At Seungeun’s blank face, she clarifies. “Like in Mines and Mermaids?”

“Oh,” Seungeun says, understanding. “You play M and M?”

“Hey, even heroes have to do something,” Yiyeon says. “I actually just finished my training. This will be my first quest.”

“Fair,” Seungeun says. She pauses.

“Wait, there’s hero training?”

-

_ Humans (sp.) _

  * _Usually born without magic. Most live in cities or towns._


  * Some humans follow the old ways and train their children to be heroes. There’s a high death rate for these heroes, but if you succeed, it’s said to be highly satisfying. However, these heroes don’t have the properties of old heroes; they have an ordinary lifespan and are rarely destined to do things.



_ (Seungeun, there isn’t much you don’t already know here! Don’t worry- you can be a hero without all that training. :) _

-

They decide to head to a place called the Gold Forest first, because, according to Yiyeon, “the queen has a lot of helpful supplies and we might find a quest member there.”

Well, Yiyeon decides. Seungeun just gapes at the maps. There are  _ so many cool things on it _ . Like a haunted mine! And a sea of serpents! And a  _ tower of doom _ !

“That last one’s more of a tourist attraction in the magical community nowadays,” Yiyeon says, peering over Seungeun’s shoulder. “The Dark Lord got slain a while ago.”

Seungeun deflates. “Oh. Can you do magic?”

“No,” Yiyeon grumbles, “it’s the one thing I’m useless at. The magical community is more of a phrase for the elves and the dwarves and the trolls and the people who grew up in a hole in the ground and got trained to be a hero from birth.”

“Oh,” she repeats. Seungeun is finding herself saying that a lot. “Are you… sad about that?”

Yiyeon shrugs. “Not really. It sounds a lot better than fishing to pay rent.”

“It probably is,” Seungeun admits. She peers at the map again; the Gold Forest is quite a distance away from the bright red  _ You Are Here  _ sticker, over some hills. “Hey… do we get horses?”   
-

After a week of preparation, Seungeun discovers that they do indeed get horses. The stable at the hall- which Yiyeon informs her is basically a home for elvish history nerds, who insist on living like the old days and have a huge library- is relatively small, but the two horses that Yiyeon picks out for them seem healthy and… horsey.

Seungeun tentatively pats the nose of one of them. “Hey, horsey, horsey,” she says. “I bet you’re very nice. And friendly. And don’t want to eat me.”

Yiyeon snorts. “Horses are not carnivorous.”

“My cousin’s horse is,” Seungeun says darkly. This horse, which is dark brown, just snuffles at her hand. “Good horse,” she adds.

Yiyeon laughs and loads a bag filled with half of their supplies and her personal things onto the second horse, who’s grey, spotty, and looks a little skittish. “Are you ready?”

Seungeun looks at Yiyeon’s sword, which is strapped to her waist and looks extremely intimidating. Her “personal things” are just a journal, some of the maps she liked, and five different weapons that Yiyeon thinks she should try- a bow and arrows, boxing gloves, throwing knives, stabbing knives, and an axe. Seungeun secretly hopes she can give them to someone who actually knows how to use them.

Not for the first time, she wonders what the hell she’s doing. 

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she admits. She doesn’t have family to say goodbye to except for that one cousin, doesn’t really have friends (does Yiyeon count as a friend?), and this is the most interesting thing she’s done in a long time.

Yiyeon, by contrast, looks excited, awake, and ready to kick some demon butt- probably helped by the pound of coffee she’d packed. “Well, let’s go!”

Seungeun stares out at the horizon. “Hurrah.”

-

_ Typical Questing Skills, Ranked From Most to Least Important:  _

  * _A sense of direction. Don’t worry; heroes always find their way to where they need to be, even if that’s not their original destination._
  * _A prophecy. Nice but kind of overrated._
  * _The ability to speak multiple languages. If you get separated from your party, this might be helpful, but most people speak Common these days._
  * _The ability to tie knots. Critical if you’re sailing or climbing; not that helpful otherwise._
  * _The ability to fight. Lots of things are going to be attacking you, and you’d better be prepared._
  * _Common sense. You’d be surprised at how many heroes have died because they made bad decisions._
  * _The ability to feed yourself. Don’t starve!_



_ (Was this funny? It was supposed to be funny...) _

_ - _

They’ve forgotten one important lesson; camping. Seungeun knows how to ride from her cousin, but she’s never been camping before, and when Yiyeon stops them for the night in the middle of a grassy hill and hands her a bag with a tent, she’s perplexed. “What’s this?”

“It’s a tent,” Yiyeon says. “Can you set it up while I go get some water? I heard a river over there.”

“I don’t know how,” Seungeun admits. “I’m sorry, I-”

“No, no, it’s fine!” Yiyeon waves her hands frantically. “I should have checked that first. Hey, you used to fish, right?” At Seungeun’s nod, she continues, “You can get the water and if you see any fish, you could get those too? I’ll have to teach you eventually, but I’m way too tired for that.”

“Okay,” Seungeun says shakily. She’s not sure why she feels so bad- maybe because after everything, she’s still not helpful. She still doesn’t belong. “Which way is it?”

Yiyeon, already putting up some poles, points down the hill. “Fifty paces or so that way.”

Seungeun salutes, grabs their buckets and waterskins, and scrambles down the hill. She finds the river- it’s more like a creek, really- easily, and fills everything. The waterskins have “magical elf purification powder” inside (she suspects Yiyeon just said that for her peace of mind, and is taking the risk of drinking contaminated water), but they’ll need to boil the water they’re drinking tonight. 

She’s about to go back to camp when she remembers. Fish. Right. The words “you could go fishing” instill a cold sweat in her automatically- she hates fish, hates fishing for a living, has never had fish cooked well. But Yiyeon is depending on her, Yiyeon is probably hungry, Yiyeon can’t wait… 

Seungeun peers deeper into the creek. It’s too shallow, she realizes; the biggest fish she’ll find will be tadpoles.

Yiyeon, she decides, will be fine.

-

It starts raining halfway through the night. Seungeun sleepily opens her eyes when a fair amount of water lands on her head, soaking her hair. “Yiyeon,” she starts, “it’s raining.”

Yiyeon, still not awake, mumbles something like, “but I’m a hero.” 

Seungeun shakes Yiyeon. She doesn’t react. Seungeun thinks for a moment, then whispers in Yiyeon’s ear, “There are demons.”

Yiyeon bolts awake immediately. “Where? How? Let me get my sword-”

Seungeun stops her. “No, no, it’s fine. It’s just raining and I think there’s a leak above my head.”

“Oh,” says Yiyeon, pulling on her boots. “We’ll need to find shelter.”

“Isn’t that what the tent is for?”

“It’s not waterproof,” Yiyeon admits.

“Then what’s the point?” Seungeun says, becoming increasingly frustrated.

Yiyeon slumps. “Look, I didn’t have the largest budget. Do you want to get rained on or not?”

“No,” Seungeun admits.

In silence, they pack up and lead the confused horses on. She’s starting they’re just walking and are never going to find shelter when Yiyeon says, “Cave ho!”

If she squints, she can see it too- a cave looming in the side of the hill. It looks less than natural- there’s an arch of stones above the entrance and everything. “Are we sure that’s not a house?”

“It’s a shelter,” Yiyeon says impatiently. “It works. Come on!”

They get closer to the entrance. Seungeun looks down and there’s a  _ ribcage  _ near her feet; she nearly screams. “Yiyeon, there are  _ bones _ . I really don’t think this is a good idea.”

“Do you want to get rained on or not?” Yiyeon repeats, irritated. 

Seungeun lets out a frustrated sigh; she really wishes her partner would listen sometimes. “No, I don’t. It’s probably fine.”

They set up bedrolls, too lazy to do the full tent, and Yiyeon almost immediately goes back to sleep. Seungeun, however, stares at the darkness of the cave. She doesn’t want to get rained on, sure, but she wants to turn into a set of bones even less. Almost automatically, she reaches in her bag for one of the knives Yiyeon had given her, running her fingers over the handle for comfort. 

There’s a loud clank in the darkness, and the next thing Seungeun knows, there’s an axe flying at her face. She automatically tugs the knife out of the bag and blocks the edge of the sword, and the knife splits in half, scratching the side of her face. “Who’s there?” she yells; Yiyeon, miraculously, is still asleep.

Someone strikes a match, and there’s someone hovering in front of her face- a short-haired woman who looks only a little older than her, but much shorter. “What are you doing in here?”

“We’re on a quest to kill some demons,” Seungeun says nervously, “and it’s raining. Back off before I stab you,” she adds unconvincingly.

The woman snorts. “You just barely avoided being cut in half- I’m not scared. Sorry about that, by the way. I thought you were one of those demons.”

“Oh,” says Seungeun. “Are you a dwarf?”

She sighs. “Why does everyone think that? Is it because I’m short?”

“Well, are you?”

“Yeah,” she admits. “I’m Jungwoo.”

“Seungeun,” she says. “That’s Yiyeon. She’s a hero and she can sleep through everything.”

Jungwoo glances over to Yiyeon. “Yeah, I can see that. Why the quest?”

Seungeun doesn’t really see the harm in telling Jungwoo, as odd as she seems. She fights demons, after all. “We’ve been having these dreams about going on a quest for the light or whatever. Probably to banish all these demons.” She pauses. “It was mostly her idea. I’m tagging along.”

Jungwoo brightens. “Really?”

“Yeah, why?” Seungeun says, starting to get suspicious.

“Because-” Jungwoo starts, but she’s interrupted by a large chunk of rock falling from the ceiling. 

It lands just behind Yiyeon, who finally awakes. “What’s this?” she yells. “Who do I need to fight? Who’s the dwarf, Seungeun?”

Seungeun opens her mouth to answer the questions, but she, too, is interrupted by a roar. A figure floats into the room- it resembles the demon she’d seen, but it’s wearing tattered white robes. Yiyeon unsheaths her sword with a sharp  _ swish  _ and slices at it. This demon doesn’t flinch, though, and roars again, sending a wave of hazy air towards Yiyeon, who falls back. She stabs up at the demon, tearing its robes, at the same time Jungwoo throws her axe through its back. 

There’s another roar, but this sounds more like one of pain; the demon turns to Seungeun, who panics and throws one of the shards of the knife at it. Miraculously, it hits the demon in the eye. Yiyeon slashes at it again; this time she seems to hit something, and the demon collapses, seemingly dead.

Yiyeon coughs. “Seungeun, I don’t feel too good.”

Seungeun wonders what the properties of the demon breath are. “No wonder,” she says. “Should we go back?”

“No,” Yiyeon pushes out. “Head to the forest… quickly…”

She proceeds to faint.

There’s an awkward silence.

Jungwoo coughs, but not in a worrying way. “Uh, what I was going to say is that I’ve been having those dreams too. My family used to live here, but then the demons… got them. Now I just try to kill as many as I can. I don’t have much to do.”

“Oh,” says Seungeun. “Are you asking to come with us?”

Jungwoo nods. “No offense, but if she’s out for the count, you need someone to defend the two of you. You’re…”

“Not a fighter, I know,” Seungeun agrees. She considers for a moment. Jungwoo seems nice enough- a little scary, maybe, but not evil or anything. And she’s been having the dreams.

“Okay.”

“Really?” Jungwoo says, eyes brightening. “I don’t mean to impose, but-”

“No, no, I’m glad to have you,” Seungeun says. “You’re right. I’d die on my own.”

Jungwoo shrugs. “You never know. Where are we taking her to cure her? The demon breath is poisonous to most things- not dwarves, though. We’re tough.”

“We were going to the Gold Forest,” she mutters. “I guess that’s where?”

Jungwoo scowls. “Ugh, elves. I guess they could cure her, though.”

“Is that a thing?” Seungeun asks, and when Jungwoo frowns at her in confusion, she clarifies. “Elf and dwarf rivalry.”

“Not really,” Jungwoo says, turning around and grabbing a previously unseen bag which Seungeun presumes is full of supplies. “It’s just that all the elves I’ve met were annoying.”   
-

_ The do’s and don’ts of finding places to stay: _ _  
_ _ DON’T sleep near bones. If there are bones, something is wrong. _

_ Caves usually extend deeper than they look. DO make sure it’s safe and nobody can sneak up on you. _

_ DO make sure there are no wolves in any forests. _

_ DON’T sleep near rivers, especially in the rain. _

_ (I think it’s a little late for some of these, haha!) _

-

So they ride to the annoying elves.

Jungwoo doesn’t know how long the poison takes to kill someone, probably because she’s not affected, so she insists on not resting. Seungeun is fine with this in theory. In practice, everything begins to hurt after the third day of riding with minimal rest for the horses and the horses only. They’d strapped Yiyeon to the brown horse like a supply bag, squeezed in together on the grey one, and hoped for the best. It might not have been the best plan. Seungeun has survived on no sleep, jerky and Jungwoo’s crackers for three days.

Three. Days.

On the bright side, though, the forest is nearby. Seungeun can see it on the horizon, and it really is gold- the leaves are a shining sunshine color, and some corner of her mind wonders if they’d painted it on. “Have you been here before?” she asks Jungwoo.

Jungwoo shakes her head. “Nope. They’re supposed to be really secretive.”

“I think my friend knows the queen,” she says. This has been the extent of their conversation, so she tries to find something to talk about. “Uh… do you play Mines and Mermaids?”

“Do I play what now?”

“It’s like… a game,” Seungeun ventures. “You make a character, and you go on an adventure with other characters.”

“Sounds like a nerd thing,” Jungwoo hums. “Teach me when we get there.”

“Okay,” Seungeun says, starting to think that the conversation is dying down. 

Jungwoo speaks again, though. “Can I sing? It helps me relax.”

Seungeun considers, for a moment, how odd it is that Jungwoo is deferring to her. “Sure,” she says. “I like singing, but I’m more of a dancer myself.”

“Maybe when all this is over we can make a band,” Jungwoo jokes. She starts to sing something that sounds almost like a lullaby, and Seungeun finds herself nodding off.

The last thing she remembers is Jungwoo’s voice.

“So tell me what you do, what you do…”

-

They arrive in the forest after just one more day. It’s peaceful here- the golden leaves don’t look painted, and they add an aura of tranquility to the path. 

“This doesn’t seem like a place where annoying people would live,” Jungwoo muses, looking at the stream ahead of them. “I like it.”

With almost comical timing, someone- an elf- bursts from the trees. They’re absurdly tall with long blonde hair, pointed ears, and a bow pointed directly at Jungwoo. “Halt!” 

Seungeun pulls back on the reins to stop the horse. “We mean-”

The elf ignores her and lets an arrow fly, hitting Jungwoo’s supply bag. “What did you say about the place?”

“I said it didn’t seem like a place where annoying people would live,” Jungwoo says, shrugging. “Guess I was wrong.”

“Give me  _ one reason _ not to shoot you,” the elf threatens.

Seungeun clamps a hand over Jungwoo’s mouth. “We mean no harm! My friend Yiyeon was with me on a quest, and the demons hurt her. We’re only coming here so she doesn’t die.”

The elf lowers the bow slowly. “Jung Yiyeon?”

“Yeah,” Seungeun says nervously. “That’s her.”

The elf glances at Yiyeon, peacefully asleep. “Okay,” she says warily. “A friend will bring the horse with her to the medical center, and you’ll be brought to the queen.”

Jungwoo bites Seungeun’s hand; on instinct, Seungeun lets go with a little yelp. “Bold of you to assume we’re going to comply.”

“Stop antagonizing her,” Seungeun hisses. “It’s not helping.”

They both ignore Seungeun; the elf leans towards Jungwoo and mutters, “You will do exactly as I say, or you’ll have an arrow through your heart faster than you can blink.” 

Jungwoo, rather appropriately, blinks. 

The elf takes this as a victory and looks at Seungeun. “I’m Simyeong.” 

“Seungeun. That’s Jungwoo, and it seems like you know Yiyeon.” 

Simyeong’s expression flickers at Jungwoo’s name, and she whistles towards the trees. Another elf, presumably eavesdropping, pops out and takes Yiyeon’s horse. “She’ll be safe.”  Simyeong gestures towards the path. “Follow me.”   
-

_ Elves (sp.) _

  * _Usually taller than humans with pointed ears and long, straight here. All skin and hair colors are possible._


  * Have a longer lifespan than humans- on average, five elf years equal about one human year. Can see in the dark and have excellent hearing.


  * Some live in the Gold Forest, others in the Murky Woods. Others travel; some have been known to sail across the ocean.


  * Native language: Elvish (dead)



_ (that’s me!) _

-

The walk is extremely awkward. Jungwoo spends most of it glaring at Simyeong, who viciously ignores her. Seungeun considers trying to make conversation, but decides against it. She really, really doesn’t want to die today.

Eventually, she starts to notice wooden platforms in the trees, and even a few heads poking out of them with curiosity. The path is sloping slightly upwards, and she notices a few hills- one covered with flowers, another with little circles that are almost akin to portholes- through the trees. Jungwoo, despite her hostility, looks around with curiosity too. 

Simyeong gestures towards an opening in the trees. “The queen is this way. I recommend the human does the speaking.”

“Her name is Seungeun,” Jungwoo says stiffly. 

Simyeong says nothing, but she flinches almost unnoticeably. They continue the walk in silence.

Seungeun gasps. Just ahead is a giant tree- at least fifty human feet tall, she’d estimate. With pride, Simyeong says, “That’s the Crown Tree.” She gestures to a set of stairs that seem to be made just from the way the branches protrude from the tree. 

“It’s beautiful,” Seungeun breathes. Jungwoo nods, almost instinctively; Simyeong grins proudly, either from making Jungwoo admit that her home is nice or from the tree.

They make their way up the stairs, leaving the horse behind; Jungwoo clings to Seungeun, refusing to look at the big drop. Seungeun, in turn, puts her hand out and lets a golden leaf float into it, before Simyeong snatches it away and says, “We’re almost there. Bow until she tells you to come up.”

Jungwoo snorts. “I’m not bowing for anyone.”

“We’re forty feet in the air,” Simyeong replies, almost pleasantly. “I wouldn’t make any mistakes if I were you.”

“If I’m falling off, I’m taking you with me,” Jungwoo says darkly, but she tightens her hold on Seungeun.

At the top of the tree is a platform unlike the others, framed by the leaves and made of a silvery wood. Simyeong pushes them onto it; Seungeun instinctively ducks her head in a bow, tugging Jungwoo down with her. “Your Majesty.”

There’s an awkward silence, but then: “You don’t have to be so formal. Stand up, visitors. I’ve heard you’re here on a quest?”

Seungeun stands, Jungwoo next to her, and-  _ oh _ . The queen doesn’t look ancient, doesn’t look unfriendly, doesn’t look regal- she looks like a woman in her element, like she belongs in this forest. She’s bathed by sunlight and gold and she’s beautiful.

Seungeun thinks she might have audibly gasped.

Jungwoo takes over for her; impressively, she doesn’t sound hostile. “Yes,” she says. Simyeong pokes her; “Yes, Your Majesty,” she amends. “We’re on a quest.”

The queen laughs; Seungeun doesn’t think she’s ever heard a more beautiful sound. “With Jung Yiyeon, yes? Is it about the demons?”

“Yes,” Seungeun stammers. “I, uh- we’ve been having these dreams. About four going on a quest for the light, so we’re looking for the last quest member. Then fighting all the demons. I think.”

Jungwoo stifles a giggle.

The queen just nods, side-eyeing Simyeong. “I believe I know someone else who’s been having those dreams.”

Simyeong groans, echoing Seungeun’s own thoughts. “Queen Songhee, I don’t want to go with them. The dwarf is annoying.”

Songhee. That’s a nice name. “It’s up to you, of course, but the demons have been plaguing the land for a while now. It is a great quest to banish them once and for all.”

“How do you know Yiyeon?” Jungwoo asks, clearly guarded. “Her name seems to be familiar.”

“Her parents sent her here to study,” Songhee says. “We don’t get many heroes in training these days; it’s good to hear of a successful champion.”

Simyeong, clearly determined to embarrass Songhee in return for the dream thing, says, “We knew each other as kids. Which wasn’t that long ago.”

Songhee shrugs eloquently. “And now I am a queen, she is a hero, and you are a border patrol guard.” Turning to Seungeun and Jungwoo, she says, “Seungeun and Jungwoo, right? You are welcome to stay here while your companion recovers. Do you have any questions?”

Seungeun tries to think of something impressive to say. She desperately wants to seem cool in front of the queen.

“Are the leaves painted on?” she blurts out, then immediately regrets it. “Not that you’d do that- is there even gold paint? The forest just looks too beautiful to be real, I guess that’s what you’ve got in common with it- oh god, I’m going to stop talking now.”

Songhee laughs again. Seungeun thinks she might die.

-

Simyeong leads them to a platform near the medical center. She looks a little less hostile now, but she still doesn’t acknowledge Jungwoo, who had turned to Seungeun as soon as they were out of earshot and said, “She’s wayyy out of your league.”

Seungeun had just glared at her, but it’s been fifteen minutes and she hasn’t responded, so she pushes out a little, “Shut up.”

Simyeong seems amused. “She’s a relatively new queen. Only about ten years older than you.”

“ _ Ten _ ?” Seungeun hisses.

“That’s two in elf years,” Jungwoo informs her. “They mature like snails.”

“I’m right here,” Simyeong mutters.

“I didn’t say it was an insult,” Jungwoo says, sizing up Simyeong. Seungeun almost laughs at how much the dwarf has to look up. “I don’t know if it’s accurate to you, either. The way you act, you’re probably fifteen, which means you must have grown like a weed to get that tall.”

Simyeong snorts. “What are you going to do to me, steal my kneecaps?”

“Yes,” says Jungwoo. “I notice you didn’t deny being three mentally.”

“A lady never reveals her age,” Simyeong says haughtily, bringing them to the base of a tree. “This is where you’ll stay. I have been…  _ assigned _ … to stay nearby, so I’ll be in the next tree if you need anything.”

Jungwoo glares up at the platform. “I am not sleeping in a tree.”

“Yes, you are,” Simyeong says. “If you need someone to help you reach the ladder, I can always pick you up.”

“I’d die before letting you touch me,” Jungwoo snaps, reddening as she realizes how it sounds.

Simyeong, thankfully, does not make a joke about necrophilia; instead, she shrugs. “Suit yourself.”

Jungwoo doesn’t struggle to get up the ladder, but she doesn’t start complaining again either; instead, she lies down and looks up at the sky. “I’m sorry for being so argumentative. She just… irritates me.”

“Clearly,” Seungeun says with a sigh. “This feels like a dream.”

“Judging by the amount of gay panic you had back there, I can guess why,” Jungwoo teases. Her stomach growls. “Do we get dinner?” she hollers.

A voice that sounds like Simyeong’s hollers back, “Not yet! I’ll bring food.”

Seungeun is slightly impressed by how quickly the elf had replied, especially to Jungwoo, who rolls her eyes and yells, “Don’t poison it!”

“The way this visit’s going, I’d end up poisoning my own!” Simyeong calls.

-

Seungeun visits Yiyeon the next day. The hero is awake, but still doing badly; she blinks up at Seungeun. “Seungeun? My child?”

“Hi,” Seungeun says nervously. “You’re safe now.”

Yiyeon smiles, still faintly. “Good. Is this the Gold Forest? How did you get there? What happened to that dwarf?”

“Yes,” Seungeun lists, “and she’s with us. Apparently she’s also been having the dreams.”

Yiyeon coughs. “Now we just need an elf.” 

“We found someone here who’s been having the dreams,” Seungeun volunteers. “We didn’t… get off on the right foot.”

Yiyeon winces. “I can see where this is going. Ten gold coins say they end up dating.”

Seungeun snorts. The image of Jungwoo and Simyeong being able to spend more than three minutes together without bickering, much less  _ dating _ , is bizarre. “No bet.” It kind of hurts to see Yiyeon in bed like this- helpless, sick, so different from the hero Seungeun looked up to.

For some reason. 

“I miss you,” she says weakly.

Yiyeon pats her arm. “I’m right here. We’re going to complete the quest, and everything is going to be fine.”

“It better be,” Seungeun mutters. “They’re asking me for advice. Me! I can’t fight, I can’t heal, I can’t do anything.” She pauses. “On that note, why didn’t you bring the demon breath medicine?”

Yiyeon seems to shrink into herself. “We… ran out. I wanted you to do well.”

“Oh,” says Seungeun. “We can bring more now, right?”

“Yup,” Yiyeon agrees. “How’s the queen? She hasn’t visited me yet.”

Seungeun’s ears automatically flush red. Yiyeon doesn’t notice, so she says, “She seems nice.”

“That’s good,” Yiyeon says absently, fiddling with a strand of hair. “I should be better by tomorrow, okay? We can discuss our next steps from there.”

-

_ Demon-breath (sickness) _

_ Symptoms: high fever, coma-like behavior, difficulty breathing _

_ Death rate: 100% within a week if not cured _

_ Cure: Silver fae flowers _

-

Seungeun can’t sleep.

It’s not that the platform is uncomfortable, because it isn’t; it’s not that Jungwoo snores, even though she does. It’s just the stress of being in a strange place, even though she’s with people she trusts; it’s just that she’s been thrown in the deep end of a whole new world, and she can barely swim.

What is she even doing here?

Maybe a walk would be nice. She slips down the ladder and looks up at the sky. She wonders if Simyeong is watching her; just in case, she whispers, “I’m not running away, just going for a walk,” and so she goes.

Seungeun wanders out of the populated area, past the medical center, past the giant tree. Through the trees, she spots a large hill covered with flowers that shine gold and silver in the moonlight. She picks her way through the flowers, sure not to step on any. When she reaches the top of the hill, she carefully sits down and looks up at the sky. 

“Thinking about something?” a voice says from behind her. 

Seungeun turns around to see the queen standing there, completely radiant in the moonlight. “I, uh- no, Your Majesty,” she stammers. It’s a lie, mostly.

“You can call me Songhee,” she says. “Simyeong was trying to intimidate you; we don’t really do formalities here.” The queen pauses. “I couldn’t sleep either.”

“Oh,” says Seungeun, not quite sure what to say. “Uh, I’m sorry about earlier.”

Songhee smiles. “It’s okay. You were tired.”

Tired. That’s the excuse she’s going with. Because obviously she’d been working so hard to get to the forest. She was a hero. A cool one. Totally not prone to gay panicking. “Yup.”

“The leaves aren’t painted on, by the way.”

“I figured.”

The wind whistles. The leaves rustle. There’s a comfortable silence.

“Hey,” Seungeun starts, “have you heard of Mines and Mermaids?”

-

Seungeun blinks her eyes open. She hears someone yelling next to her and closes her eyes again. It’s probably Jungwoo.

“What did you do to her?”

“Absolutely nothing! She’s just sleeping!”

“She’s sleeping  _ fifty feet off the ground _ in a  _ different place than she’s supposed to be _ !”

“So she moved or something! No big deal.”

“I bet you abducted her.”

“What would I want with her?”

Seungeun registers the fact that they’re yelling about  _ her _ and sighs. “Jungwoo, I’m fine,” she says without opening her eyes.

“What happened last night?” Jungwoo shrieks.

“Nothing interesting,” Seungeun mutters. “Just couldn’t sleep.”

Simyeong sighs. “Leave her alone, for the love of leaves. Seungeun, do you want some of Yiyeon’s coffee?”

A new voice enters the fray. “What’s this about my coffee?”

“It’s the only caffeine in the forest. Let her have it.”

“No,” Yiyeon says sternly. “I need that to deal with you two.”

“Who says I’m staying with you?” Simyeong groans. 

“This isn’t your job. You’d be gone if you didn’t secretly like me,” Jungwoo says smugly.

Seungeun senses an eye roll. “I’m only sticking around to laugh at you. Can I have some of that coffee?”

“No,” Yiyeon says. Her tone of voice indicates that she is not taking no for an answer. “Seungeun, wake up.” 

Seungeun groans. “Don’t wanna.”

“We have to plan,” Yiyeon insists. “The sooner we leave, the better.” 

“How early is it?”

“Just past dawn,” Jungwoo tells her. “Far too fucking early.”

“Language,” Simyeong scolds, even though it’s really not her place to do so and Seungeun agrees with Yiyeon, anyway. 

“I’m sorry, I included an incomplete sentence,” Jungwoo snaps, acidic; “It’s far too fucking early to deal with you.”

“Would you both  _ shut up _ ,” Seungeun mutters, pushing herself to her feet. “What’s the plan?”

Yiyeon sits down gracefully. She’s in full hero mode, impractical cape swept over her shoulder and all. “I believe the demons are targeting the four of us specifically- possibly because of whatever bizarre prophecy we’re all getting. Since they started appearing recently all at one time, I suspect they spawned from sort of portal or generator that we must destroy.”

“Why us?” Jungwoo says.

Yiyeon strikes a pose. “Because we are destined to do so.”

“That makes absolutely no sense,” Seungeun grumbles. “We’re, like… ordinary. Except for you. I guess.”

“Hey, I can fight!” Jungwoo protests. “I’ve got a tragic backstory!”

Simyeong had been quiet, but she finally speaks up. “If they’re targeting the four of us, and we’re all in the same place, then…?”

“They can’t get in the forest,” Yiyeon says. “There’s a ward around it. It’s possible to break the ward, but it would take… quite some time.”

“That’s why I have to leave, then,” Simyeong says softly, probably coming to terms with the fact that her existence is putting her home in danger.

Jungwoo, for once, doesn’t antagonize the elf; instead, she says, “Did I- is that why the demons killed my parents?”

“No, no, no,” Yiyeon says quickly. “The dreams only started ten days or so ago. They weren’t specifically targeting me before that.”

“Oh,” says Jungwoo, staring at the wood of the platform. Simyeong, of all people, awkwardly pats her on the back.

Seungeun clears her throat. “So, then… how do we find this spawner?”

“I think I can help with that,” says Songhee from behind them. 

Seungeun is starting to think that she really likes dramatic entrances. 

-

“It’s called the Pool of Visions?” Jungwoo says. “Really?”

“Yes, what’s wrong with that?” Simyeong fires back. “It’s a perfectly fine name.”

“It’s just a  _ little _ on the nose,” Jungwoo mutters, tapping the elf on the nose. “Kind of like the forest name, actually.”

“What else were we supposed to call it?”

“I don’t know, the forest of annoyances or something?”

“Isn’t that also on the nose?”

“So you admit you’re annoying!”

Songhee coughs. “Seungeun, Yiyeon, would you like to look into the pool with me? Perhaps we should leave them to it.”

“I’ll keep an eye on them,” says Yiyeon, crossing her arms. Seungeun thinks she might have aged from the sickness; she looks older now, more focused. “Seungeun, go.”

She can’t think of a reason why not, so she follows Songhee towards a small spring. She hears the burbling before she sees it; a jet of water splashing from a slightly shimmering rock into a small basin.

“This isn’t a pool,” she blurts out, instantly regretting. “Not that- not that your name is bad or it’s false advertising or something, but-”

“I know,” Songhee says, cutting her off with a little laugh. “We used to call it the Spring of Visions, but people kept getting it confused with the season.” She gestures toward the basin. “We’ll look into it together, okay?”

“Okay,” Seungeun says nervously, staring at their reflections in the water. She looks so plain next to Songhee, Songhee with her long dark hair and glimmering brown eyes and golden dress. 

Then Songhee’s eyes aren’t the only part of the water that’s glimmering, and Seungeun Sees.

She sees a set of caverns deep in the ground, sees a map of tunnels taking her to a chasm that seems to stretch forever and forever downwards. Sees a tiny, precarious trail leading to the bottom; sees a river of fire coating the ground and on an island in the middle, one single, precarious rock with another basin upon it. This basin doesn’t contain water; it contains pure night. As Seungeun watches, a demon struggles out from it, papery, vestigial wings, ragged cloak, and all. It turns to look at her and it screams.

She’s brought back to reality by hands on her shoulders, tugging her away. Songhee’s voice says from behind her, “Your head was in the water. You would have drowned.”

Seungeun coughs, notices that her hair is soaking wet. “Does it usually do that?”

“No,” Songhee says, releasing her shoulders. “I think it’s because of the prophecy. What did you see?”

Seungeun sits down in a sunny patch, listens to the faraway sound of Simyeong and Jungwoo arguing, and tells Songhee everything.

-

_ Prophetic Dreams (phenomenon) _

  * _Victims chosen at random. Usually affects multiple people, across all species, that have something in common._


  * Extremely rare.


  * Unknown who dispenses them.



_ (These are what you’re having! As I’m sure you can tell, we need to do more research on them…) _

-

They agree to leave the next day. “You know,” Jungwoo starts, “I know of a dwarf settlement in the mines near there. My parents used to visit. Maybe they’ll help.”

“I’m not going underground,” Simyeong insists. “What if the tunnel collapses?”

“It won’t,” Jungwoo says, offended. “It was built by many hard-working dwarves. And now you’ll know how I feel about sleeping in a tree.”

Yiyeon sighs, the mediator once again. “Look, we’ll head for the settlement as soon as we restock. You’re coming?”

This last is addressed to Simyeong, who sighs and says, “Do I have a choice?”

“Nope,” says Jungwoo cheerfully. “You’ll suffer with me.”

“And because of you, I’m sure,” Simyeong mutters; Jungwoo, clearly in a good mood, sends her finger guns.

Seungeun groans. “We should get some sleep tonight. It’ll be a long journey tomorrow.”

“Of course, boss,” Jungwoo says cheekily; Yiyeon salutes.

“I’m not… whatever,” Seungeun says, and watches them go.

She’s not ready.

She has to be.

-

Songhee prepares a picnic for them as a send-off. Seungeun is going to miss eating things besides stale jerky and crackers, so the variety of food here makes her happy. There’s caramel pudding, salad, cheese bread, and no fish in sight. Simyeong, nibbling on a leaf, doesn’t seem to have much of an appetite; Jungwoo, in contrast, is eating most of the pudding.

Yiyeon, halfway through a bite of cheese bread, says, “We appreciate everything that you’ve done for us.”

Songhee, who’s not eating at all, smiles. There’s something in her face that makes Seungeun think she doesn’t really mean it; she can’t help but wonder why the queen is sad. “It was an honor to help you. I wish your quest the best of luck.”

“Are you tired?” Simyeong says, studying Songhee’s face. “Is it the wards?”

Songhee nods. “The demons are already gathering. I should be able to keep them up long enough for you to leave, but…”

“We’ll get off your hands,” Seungeun says quietly. She’s not sure why she feels so dejected; maybe it’s the guilt, maybe it’s her tiny, stupid crush, maybe it’s that from here on out she  won’t have any more simple, happy time with her friends.

Are they her friends? She’s going with yes.

Songhee smiles at her; now it looks genuine. “It was nice to have you here. I hope you return.” She claps her hands. “Now, for gifts!”

Yiyeon perks up. “You really didn’t have to…”

Songhee shrugs. “I wanted to.” She rummages through a bag at her side, coming out with a long, delicately carved, stick. “First, personal gifts. Jungwoo, this is a new handle from your axe. It’s made from the trees here and it’s pretty much indestructible.”

The dwarf takes it skeptically, running her hands over it. “It’s nice,” she admits. “Thank you for everything.”

“Simyeong,” Songhee continues, handing her a vial on a necklace, “this is enchanted water from the Pool of Visions. It glows in the dark, and hopefully it should remind you of home.”

Simyeong’s eyes widen, and she turns around, holding the ends of the necklace out expectantly to Jungwoo, of all people, who fastens them around her neck. “Thank you so much. I promise, I’ll- come back and-” The elf looks a little teary-eyed; Yiyeon pats her on the back soothingly.

The queen hands Yiyeon a shield made of the same golden wood and silvery metal. There’s less explanation for this one; she just says calmly, “You’re a hero. But even heroes need protection.”

Yiyeon hugs Songhee. They’re childhood friends, Seungeun remembers; some things don’t need words.

“And Seungeun,” Songhee says, producing a book seemingly out of nowhere. “You weren’t raised with all of this mess. I hope this helps you understand everything more.”

Seungeun had watched the others’ reactions to their gifts, but she hadn’t been prepared for her own feelings. She’d wanted answers. Reassurance.

And maybe here it was.

“Thank you,” she manages to push out. “I- appreciate it. A lot.”

The others nod, and Seungeun feels something warm (?) in the pit of her stomach.

She feels like she belongs, she realizes.

Songhee gives them more things; rope, arrows, knives, food- but Seungeun doesn’t pay attention. She’s staring out at the horizon, dissociating.  Terrified.

-

They’re sent off in a small boat, because they do need to get back across the river. Seungeun takes comfort in the fact that she’s at least on the right side of the water as her home. Everyone is silent- Seungeun wonders if they’re coming to terms with the idea that they might all die.

For a good cause, of course.

When they reach the other bank, nobody wants to be the first to dismount. There’s silence, then Yiyeon hops out, steadying the boat. “The hero has to go first,” she says with a bitter smile. “Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.” It’s unclear whether she’s reassuring herself or them.

Jungwoo mutters a quick  _ thank you _ and stumbles out; Simyeong, eyes still on the forest they’d come from, follows.

Then it’s just Seungeun in the boat, along with Songhee, waiting patiently.

“You’ll come back someday,” Songhee says softly.    
Seungeun takes a deep breath.

“Yeah. I will.”

And she takes a step onto solid ground.

-

_ Quest (phenomenon) _

  * _A journey, usually long, performed by heroes with a specific objective._


  * Occurs in many stories...



_ (..including this one!) _

**Author's Note:**

> this is unfinished and will remain so!


End file.
